Looks like the weather is going to rule the roost this weekend. Heavy rains moving in from the south for tonight all day tomorrow and tomorrow night. Also into sat. May not gets many if any games in this week. Oh well we do need the rain.
Weather
- Thread starter Buddy Rich
- Start date
I am confused on why we do not play in rain. I watched a great deal of high school football in the Philadelphia area and games were never postponed due to regular rain.
Is it a matter of poor gates, tearing the fields up, or kids getting hurt?
This confuses me.
Is it a matter of poor gates, tearing the fields up, or kids getting hurt?
This confuses me.
High Schools around here apparently spend a ton of cash on fields now days. I don't know, maybe they want them to look good for homecoming, soccer (another sport that features queens LOL!!!!! sorry I do apologize for that). Back in the 80s when I played HS the fields were freshly cut for the 1rst game. Most were lined with lime. If you played on painted lines you were high class. Playing in mud and rain was fun!!!. I remember equipment managers would use screw drivers to chip mud from the bottom of your screw in cleats so you would get better traction. Maybe they still do things right in Philly or maybe they all play on the new turf fields up there like you are seeing more of in HS where rain don't matter much as far as the fields.
Poor gates could be an issue but rescheduling a rainy Friday game for a dry Monday game on a school or work night don't help that too much IMO. Not a doctor or trainer but could not imagine injuries being an issue on wet fields. Most injuries caused by playing surfaces that I am aware of are surfaces not giving when feet are planted causing isolated tears to ligaments (and I have personally experienced that and seen that with 9 season ending knee injuries to my teammates and including mine on brand new artificial turf "yea the old style turf" my Sr year of college back in the 80s) . There is plenty of "give" on wet fields.
In my opinion as long as there is not lightning football was meant to be played. Heck in 1956 Texas A&M coached by "Bear Bryant" played TCU during a hurricane. More than 150 planes were overturned at the local airport by wind during the game.
hammer70,
There are several factors that play into the decision whether to play or not to play. Every LEA is different therefore as an AD and assistant football coach my school totally rely on gate revenue to pay for team uniforms, equipment, officials, score keepers and miscellaneous expenses. Athletics is a business operation now at every level so maybe in Philadelphia the state fully funds athletics, but not here in NC. We pay our district a $1.50 per mile for the use of the activity bus and I really wish there wasn't so many intangibles I didn't have to consider before playing a football game in such conditions as rain, but at the end of the day most administrators going to may that decision for you not to play so they carry their assets home for the weekend.
There are several factors that play into the decision whether to play or not to play. Every LEA is different therefore as an AD and assistant football coach my school totally rely on gate revenue to pay for team uniforms, equipment, officials, score keepers and miscellaneous expenses. Athletics is a business operation now at every level so maybe in Philadelphia the state fully funds athletics, but not here in NC. We pay our district a $1.50 per mile for the use of the activity bus and I really wish there wasn't so many intangibles I didn't have to consider before playing a football game in such conditions as rain, but at the end of the day most administrators going to may that decision for you not to play so they carry their assets home for the weekend.
